Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-12-03
we remained on

AANOLANN a FAKE IN IRE EOA CAR
watching. Then tho memorable smoke of
the foe was seen; the pin connecting the
burning car with our engine was pulled
out and we slowly moved on. Too clearly
we saw the ruin of all II hopes! To wait
the coming OF our foes was vain. They
were now near at hand, and we could see
their guns, with which they would be able
to fight us at long range. The car which,
IT the day had been dry. would long before
this have filled the bridge with a mass of
roaring flame, was burning faster than
the bridge. To take it to another bridge
was useless, for the drenching rain would
have given it little chance to burn away
from the shelter of the bridge. Very
sadly we left the tall column of smoke
behind. The pursuers saw the car, and
realizing how serious their loss would be
if it was permitted to consume the bridge,
they pushed right into the smoke and
showed the burning car on to Ringgold,
but n short distance ahead, where it was
left to smoke and sputlcr in the rain on
the side track.
We We're now on what proved to DO our
last run. | have often been asked if this
day was not one Of great fear and terror
on the part of those who We're engaged in
the race. For my OWN part, ! cannot
honestly lay claim to any greater fear
than l had often felt in ordinary military
service. No matter what happened, there
was the assurance that We still had one
rcsonrce-1hc power to turn around and
attack the pursuing foe. From the be-
ginning, such Il conflict had been present
to my mind as u matter OF course Be-
fore leaving camp, this had been reckoned
II NnfJyrNv Npcnr,,nunn If .,c vH.;N;,,,
1t had been frequently talked of among
the men. and not ono Of them seemed to
regard it with my more dread than an
ordinary battle. We had been careful to
select large -cvolvcrs for use, and not for
show, and when we found the enemy
cunning upon us, or our leaders plans for
their destruction falling, We only felt or
said that our time to strike would soon
come. We did not have the boastful feel
ing that we were an overmatch for a large
body OF southern soldiers, for we all
knew how desperately they could and
often did fight; but Of the ordinary citi-
Zens gathered up us WE presumed our
pursuers were, or even OF cOnscripts, We
had no great fear. That we had not our
accustomed arms was Il serious disad-
vantage, but this could be remcdied by
getting into close quarters; and we trusted
that our leader, who had shown such
wonderful skill III management, would be
able to put us within short range Of the
pursuing train, where we felt sure that VIC
could quickly give Il good account Of it.
Probably the fact OF Andrews having
never been in battle, but always engaged
In schemes where his own cool daring and
sagacious planning counted for every
thing, and mere force for nothing, made
him hesitate to order an attack which
would throw aside all these qualities and
determine the issue by simple fighting.
A time was near when we would firmly
have disputed our leaders, command il
there had been an officer of any authority
among us who could have been substi-
tuted for him; but not until Andrews
himself had definitely abandoned his au-
thority.
Many times the question has been
asked: "Why did you not reverse your en-
CINE, and, jumping off, let it drive back at
the enemy What good could that have
done; If their engine and our own had
been destroyed, as was very probable, to-
gether with II considerable number Of
lives, we would only have been where We
were before We captured the engine ut
all, except that the whole country would
have been aroused, and our disguise
thrown off. The second train would have
been on the ground in a few minutes and
the power Of pursuit would have been UNI
diminished. We had no wish to sacrifice
our " engine until the last effort pos
sible had been made. To merely destroy
had no charm for us, when that destruc-
ton could neither promote u escape nor
serve a military purpose.